For the Sake of Elena

~ * ~ This is one of Elizabeth George's better novels. It's utterly absorbing, and the characters will evoke strong reactions- like or dislike, sometimes both! Fans of the winning combination of Inspector Thomas Lynley and Sergeant Barbara Havers will enjoy it, but you don't need to know the detectives to enjoy the story. ~ * ~ Elena, a young college girl at Cambridge, has just been killed. She was deaf. This was more than a "handicap"- it became a battleground for her, between the students who wanted her to become part of the "Deaf"- not trying to "fit in" by reading lips, etc; and her father, who tried to minimize her deafness- asking her to fit in with his life. ~ ~ * ~, Elizabeth George is always strong in characterizations. She fills her story with complex characters, each of whom have weaknesses that we can sympathize with, and their own selfish and unpleasant motives. The conflicts between the characters are so well plotted; we are drawn into the story completely. ~ * ~ Unlike most of her mysteries, I started to see the conclusion. Elizabeth George usually blinds us to the obvious. She can weave a web so intricate and subtle, that despite all the clues we encounter, we don't ever "see" the solution until it is too late. ~ * ~ My personal favorite of the Lynley/Havers series are" A Suitable Vengeance" which focuses on the early history of Lynley, Deborah and Simon; and "Deception on His Mind ", which focuses on Sergeant Barbara Havers, and an investigation which forces her to take a stand.~ * ~

This is a good novel. not merely a crime or mystery novel...a good novel. the writing is good, the characters are great and interesting, the plot is probably her ebst so far, but could well have done with a bit more development. The way she deals with deafness was quite good, very unpatronising, but if she wanted it to become more of a theme, she should have spent a little more time with the Deaf people assosciated with the story, instead of just glancing over them as she seemed to. But there is one point where she comes miserably unstuck. Right at the beginning...the first chapter even. The writer is told the golden rule "never lie to your readers"....which, in this novel, was something Elizabeth george definitely does. I am trying to think of ways to describe her flawm whilst at the same time not telling you who did it. Let's just say...the way a certain person acts at the start definitely works against the fact that they turn out to be the murderer. It's wrong psychology...the way the characters had acted, when we find out they were the murderer, is just nonsense. However, in all other aspects, this is a great great book. In this series, it is second only to A Traitor to Memory. It has one of the best motives of any crime novels i've ever read. some people have said it's very unbelieable and would not have given rise to the sort of feelings shown in the killing of Elena. But those people just do not understand....when i read what Tony Weaver was made to do, i was horrified. Being a "creator" (albeit of a differnt type of art) myself, i can well understand what drove the killer to do the deed. This is a marvellous book in the fact that by the end of it, almost all your opinions of the characters have compeltely reversed. Well, i certainly found mine doing that. At the start, i liked Justine, but by the end, i just plain hated her. Anthony Weaver first comes across as quite a nice man...but then his true personality is revealed. I started off disliking Gareth Randolph, but by the end felt very sorry for the poor lad. And Sarah Gordon, who i started off as being completely indifferent to, i came to feel intense sympathy for, and liked a great deal. Glyn Weaver, i started off feeling sympathetic toward, but by the end i just couldn't stand her. This is a great book, highly reccomeneded. However, you must of course start at the start. With A Great Deliverance.

For The Sake of Elena is another great mystery from Elizabeth George, and remains my personal favorite, not only because it's another well-done mystery dealing with the question of who killed Elena Weaver and why, but also because the author deals so compassionately with the subject of the title character's deafness, and weaves it into the story in the form of the Deaf Students'Union at Cambridge. What's more, Derek Jacobi gives a beautiful performance speaking in Elena's voice. You should not miss the chance to purchase this for your collection!

George has done a marvelous job in bringing to life one of her minor characters, the eponymous victim. She almost becomes a prism by which we come to understand the other characters through their understanding of her. Everything is provided for the reader here: a complex plot, strong character development, and the best action scene that George has written so far. If you have been disappointed with any of the others in this series and have stopped reading them, you might want to pick this one up.